Ethiopia, UNICEF look to scale up birth registration, Fayda ID adoption

Officials of Ethiopia’s National ID Program (NIDP), the Immigration and Citizenship Services (ICS), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have shared thoughts on ways of improving birth and digital ID registration in the country.

NIDP said in a recent brief that its Executive Director, Yodahe Zemichael; UNICEF’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Director of the Information and Communications Technology Division, Kaan Cetinturk, the agency’s Deputy Regional Director, Jeremy Hopkins, and representatives of the ICS, had a discussion on “innovative ways to scale up birth registration and national identification systems.”

During the discussion, the partners agreed on the need to give a stronger push to ongoing birth registration efforts in the country so as to ensure that “all children in Ethiopia, along with their families, can access essential services like healthcare, education, and social protection.”

Recognizing birth registration as the foundation of legal identity and a path that leads to opportunity, protection and inclusion, the UN agency officials said they remain available to supporting Ethiopia in making progress in that activity, ensuring that every child has the right to identity and the tools they need to succeed in life.

This meeting months after the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) expressed concerns over what it described as the slow pace of birth registration in the country, saying in an operational update in October that the situation was not advancing Fayda digital ID registration efforts.

UNICEF signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NIDP in October 2023 to accompany ID enrollment efforts in the country, with a focus on birth registration.

Efforts in line with Ethiopia digital ID for inclusion and services project

Measures being taken by NIDP as well as its partners from government and the international development community to improve birth registration and National ID coverage align with the government’s digital transformation agenda, headlined by the Ethiopia digital ID for inclusion and services projects.

The project, which has funding from the World Bank, intends to register at least 90 million Ethiopians for digital ID by 2030, laying the foundation for a strong digital government ecosystem outlined in a five-year strategy.

Already, the 12-digit Fayda digital ID has been issued to more than 12.2 million individuals, as the ID is increasingly being required for access to a wide array of services from government and the private sector.

More public acceptance needed for Fayda digital ID

As part of the push by NIDP for stronger adoption and public acceptance of the digital ID which is essential for access to several important services, a public forum aimed at further popularising it was held at the close of last month.

The forum dubbed “Fayda for Ethiopia” was organised by the Ethiopian News Agency, and served as an opportunity for stakeholders to discuss the role of the biometric ID in accelerating Ethiopia’s digital transformation and economic growth.

Speaking at the event, NIDP deputy coordinator, Rahel Yitbarek, said the ID is meant to enable citizens enjoy their full rights and contribute to the growth of the economy.

The event, which was attended by representatives from 25 government and private sector entities, emphasized how the Fayda ID can promote transparency and efficiency in the delivery of public services across various sectors.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  birth registration  |  digital ID  |  Ethiopia  |  Ethiopia National ID Program (NIDP)  |  Fayda  |  national ID